welfare state

As I write, it is unclear whether the Conservatives will have an overall majority. If not, I suspect they will try to rule as a minority government, although they may try some sort of deal. In the latter case, they could well be defeated in Parliament on at least some issues. In the former, they will still be vulnerable to rebellion from their own fractious backbenchers.

Over the past five years, the UK’s ruling Coalition has brought in heavy cuts to social security and public services. If a Conservative-led alliance comes to power in the general election, this is likely to intensify.

If your family is going hungry because your benefits have been cut, security might mean knowing that you have enough to eat. But Prime Minister David Cameron wants to make you secure by renewing the Trident nuclear weapons system at a cost of £100 billion.

Can a general election deliver meaningful political change in 2015? If not, how else can we campaign for a better society? Can we use the election to push the political narrative in unexpected directions?

When I was young, my father often used to repeat a saying his mother had told him, “To whom much is given, of them much is expected.” It was long time before I realised that this early version of “check out your privilege” was in fact quoting Jesus in the Bible (Luke 12:48), but I have never forgotten it, and I always try to live by it.

2014 will be a crucial year for the people of Britain. The country stands at a crossroads, and the path we choose to take may define our country for many years to come. It will be very difficult to turn back, if we take the wrong path.